The present invention relates to a so-called push-pull cable arrangement for selectively transmitting longitudinal motion to two separate destinations by pushing and pulling an inner wire enclosed in outer casings.
Such a push-pull cable arrangement of one type is disclosed in Japanese patent application No. 55-1621 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,597.In this push-pull cable arrangement, the inner wire has a front end, a rear end and an intermediate node between both ends. A first outer casing having a front end and a rear end encloses the inner wire between the front end and the intermediate node of the inner wire. A second outer casing having a front end and a rear end encloses the inner wire between the intermediate node and the rear end of the inner wire. The front end of the inner wire is connected with a hand lever for pushing and pulling the inner wire. The rear end of the inner wire is connected with a first receiving unit to be moved by the inner wire. The front end of the first outer casing is held stationary, and the rear end of the first outer casing is movable near the intermediate node of the inner wire. The front and rear ends are both held stationary. When the inner wire is pulled, the intermediate node of the inner wire is free to move longitudinally in such a pull direction, and the longitudinal motion of the inner wire in the pull direction is directly transmitted to the first receiving unit connected with the rear end of the inner wire. When the inner wire is pushed, the intermediate node is prevented from moving in such a push direction by a stationary stopper, so that the longitudinal motion of the inner wire in the push direction is not transmitted to the rear end of the inner wire. Instead, the rear end of the first outer casing moves away from the intermediate node toward the front end of the inner wire. This movement of the rear end of the first outer casing is transmitted by a swingable lever connected with the rear end of the first outer casing and a rod, to a second receiving unit. In this case, the first outer casing must bend somewhere in order to allow the rear end of the first outer casing to move away from the intermediate node of the inner wire.
This push-pull cable arrangement is useful especially to vehicles such as automobiles. This cable arrangement is used, in an automobile, for unlocking a fuel filler lid positioned near a rear wheel of the automobile, and a trunk lid in the rear of the automobile by a hand lever positioned near a driver's seat. In this application, this cable arrangement is undesirable because the first outer casing must bend, as mentioned above, between the driver's seat and the fuel filler lid in a narrow confined space in which many electrical wires and other cables must be disposed, together. Furthermore, a bend of the first outer casing decreases the efficiency of the push-pull cable arrangement in transmitting longitudinal motion.